After initiating a new response independently, how can you further expand the student's language?

Prompting a more complex response over the next few trials is an effective strategy to expand a student's language following their independent initiation of a new response. This approach allows the student to build upon their existing knowledge and skills by gradually introducing more challenging linguistic structures or vocabulary. By supporting the student in constructing more elaborate or detailed responses, you facilitate the development of their language abilities, encouraging them to express themselves more fully and accurately.

This strategy is grounded in concepts from applied behavior analysis, where the idea is to reinforce successive approximations of desired behavior. In this case, as the student successfully responds with complexity, they engage in a richer language experience that can help deepen their understanding and fluency.

The other options do not effectively promote language expansion in the same way. Encouraging non-verbal cues may not lead to the advancement of verbal language skills. Revisiting previously learned concepts could reinforce old information, but it might not challenge the student enough to grow their language capabilities. Limiting verbal interactions would restrict opportunities for language practice and development, which is counterproductive to fostering growth.